2. The working title
• My chosen working title for my short film is ‘Empty.’
• I would like my title to focus on why I have decided to use a toy to represent the dog as I
believe that this represents how pets may feel when abandoned or not cared for
correctly and would be more likely to highlight the gravity of neglect.
• The word ‘empty’, in nutritional terms, can mean the being is of low nutrient contents,
which in the case of my short film is appropriate as I focus on the neglect of the toy
which is later revealed to be a dog. Alternatively, I viewed this as a paradox because
‘empty’ also suggests something may be lacking value which is the key message I would
like to stress in this film as I want to promote the value of animals’ lives through
presenting an animal as a toy with an up-close perspective of how they can be easily
treated.
• I feel this is an appropriate working title for my short film’s genre as it is similar to other
drama films such as ‘The Revenant’ which focuses on the protagonist returning from his
supposed death which is reflected to the audience in the title. Therefore, I believe the
title ‘Empty’ is similar in the sense that it leads the audience to believe the “toy” is going
to be neglected in some way which is not properly revealed by this title.
3. Tagline
“Dog’s are for life, not just for Christmas”
“Consider before it’s too late”
I chose these two taglines as I want to promote the well used
phrase of dogs not just being for Christmas as I strongly agree that
it is a very big decision that should be thoroughly considered
before they have decided to buy a pet, which leads onto my
second tagline underneath.
Film length:
Around 6 minutes as I would not like it
to be too long in order to keep
audience interest, however I would like
to have it long enough to ensure that
the audience can keep up with the
story.
4. Key Characters
• Chloe – the young daughter (aged 7-10) who receives the “toy” as a
Christmas present.
• Beth – the teenager (aged 18) who finds the “toy” to take home.
• Jacqui – the mother (aged 51) of Chloe.
• Paul – the father (aged 51) of Chloe.
• Pepper – the abandoned dog.
5. Synopsis
Act 3 - Beth looks after the dog by giving it a warm home and a bath to present to the audience the clear difference between a good home
and a bad home for a pet.
Act 1 - Chloe receives a “toy” dog as a present for Christmas and it is stressed how excited and interested she is in her new present. However,
she does appear to lose some interest when she returns to school and when her parents are back at work the toy is almost abandoned.
Act 2 – Paul receives a letter (which is not shown to the audience but is clearly bad news as shown by his facial expressions) and, in an attempt
to cheer him up, Chloe leaves the “toy” for him to find in his car for him to take with him when he leaves to drive to work. Once he gets in the
car it is clear he is positively affected by the “toy’s” presence and he happily takes it with him for a drive. However, he receives a phone call
while he is driving so stops the car on the side of the road to answer it. As he gets out of the car to find some signal, he leaves the door open
and the toy would fall out. With Paul clearly distressed from the phone call he doesn’t realise the toy is missing until further into his journey, in
which case he is already late for work (due to the phone call), and cannot turn back. With the toy abandoned by the side of the road it begins
to get dirty and starts to fall apart.
Act 3 – Beth is going for a walk in the forest where she comes across the “toy” which is looking very damaged and in need of some care. She
takes it home with her where she gives it a bath, in this scene it will be revealed to the audience that the “toy” is in fact a real dog. Here, the
dog will be fed and embraced to symbolise they are in a better home and that the animal has had a happy ending. However, this will be
contrasted by the end tagline which is that “Dog’s are not just for Christmas” to follow the well known phrase people say when considering
getting a dog. This will then be followed by the second tagline “Consider before it’s too late” to leave the important message of respecting
animals with the audience.
6. Target audience
• Regarding the target audience I suggest for this film they would be from young
adults and older as it would be addressed to people who may be considering
getting a pet but may not have properly considered the importance of dedicating
time to the animal in order for their pets to have the best opportunity for having
a long and happy life.
• Regarding the NRS scale the target audience would vary as I would like to appeal
to those who may not be able to afford the maintenance of a pet (meaning they
would be lower down the scale) but also those who are in full-time employment
and may not be able to dedicate enough time to their pet (meaning they would
be higher up the scale).
• Additionally, regarding the 4C's model the audience would be the aspirer as their
core need in life is status. I would want to appeal to this audience type specifically
as they may be looking to get a dog (or other pet) and viewing it as a materialistic
item rather than a living being and I want to stress to them the importance of
dedicating enough time to an animal.
7. Form and style
• In order to make it clear to the audience that the genre of my film is
Drama I would use realist shots and use quite simple editing to
make it more relatable for the audience in order to make the
message of the film more successful. This will be achieved through
having realistic colour and lighting throughout the majority of the
film in order to stress realism, however as the toy is isolated I will
use slightly darker lighting to promote the mistreatment's affect on
the “toy”.
• A key feature of my film will be symbolism (regarding the toy) in
order to stress the message that dogs must not be treated like an
inanimate object such as a toy. This will be able to raise awarenss of
mistreatment of pets (specifically dogs) by shocking the audience
with the revelation at the end of the short film that the toy was a
dog all along.
8. Marketplace
• Regarding my films position among other films that have already been released my
film would be an amateur, independent film which would be likely to be exhibited
on the YouTube platform. This would be in order to increase publicity by gaining a
number of views from audiences who may be considering getting a pet or who are
already concerned about the mistreatment of animals and are watching my film in
order to gain further insight for research purposes.
• Additionally, my competition for this genre of film would specifically be films which
already stress the mistreatment of animals and are hoping to raise awareness for
the cause. However, I believe my film may hold some originality by including
symbolism in order to promote the idea that dogs must not be treated like a toy.
